Matt Limaye ’25 | Jason Ni ’23
The atmosphere in Philadelphia is at an all-time high. Fans are climbing poles, fireworks are booming, and Philly is certainly dancing on its own. Philadelphia residents can’t walk a block in Philadelphia without hearing about one of its major sports teams. The people of Philadelphia are die-hard sports fans and support their teams to the very end, and this year, all of the dedication and all of the heartbreak has finally paid off. With the Phillies making it to the World Series after not making the playoffs in the past 11 years, the Eagles being the sole remaining undefeated team in the NFL, the Sixers holding onto title hopes despite a slow start to the season, and the Flyers surprising everyone with some early statement wins, the Philly faithful are flocking to games support their teams.
Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated
Phillies
The Phillies’ Cinderella story has involved a meteoric surge through the National League bracket essentially unscathed. The lowest-seeded team is World Series bound for the first time in 13 years after knocking off the higher-seeded St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, and San Diego Padres.
The Phillies were 22-29 when the organization fired the existing manager, Joe Girardi, hoping to breathe life into a dying Phillies club. Rob Thompson took the reins of the lackluster team and ignited a winning culture in the locker room, which led them to accumulate 67 more wins, ending with a record of 87-75.
Backed by superstar designated hitter Bryce Harper’s .419 average and five home runs, the Phillies have fought their way into the World Series with a 9-2 record in the postseason. Citizens Bank Park is truly Bryce Harper’s house. Additionally, sluggers Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Schwarber have accounted for eight of Philly’s 16 home runs this postseason.
The Phillies pitching has been lights out as Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez have combined for 51 total strikeouts on opposing batters. On the back end, Seranthony Dominguez has racked up 15 strikeouts in only 7.2 innings pitched, meaning 65% of his outs are a result of a strikeout. Earlier in the season, Keith Hernandez, a Mets broadcaster, stated that he hated commentating Phillies games because “Fundamentally, [and] defensively, the Phillies have always been just, you know, not up to it.”
However, the Phillies have proved every doubter wrong including Hernandez as they have continued to keep dancing on their own, a reference to Calum Scott’s cover of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own,” which has become a team favorite. The Phillies have been playing so well that even Alec Bohm is loving this place. They are hoping to knock off the Astros in a best-of-seven to win a World Series trophy and bring it back to Philadelphia where it belongs.
Eagles
Although the NFC East is filled with strong playoff contenders like the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles are flying high in first place with a 6-0 record through Week 7. In six games, Jalen Hurts, the Eagles’ star quarterback, has recorded six touchdowns along with 1,514 passing yards. Additionally, Hurts loves using his legs, displayed by his 293 rushing yards and whopping six touchdowns on the ground. The twenty-four-year-old is certainly a potential MVP candidate.
The much improved Eagles defense, with new additions such as James Bradberry, C.J Gardner Johnson, and Kyzir White, has made an immediate impact. 17 sacks and nine interceptions accumulating to 14 total turnovers through six games is a pretty impressive stat line. Nakobe Dean, a highly prized third-round draft pick who was seen as the steal of the draft, has barely even seen the field as a result of the Eagles defensive dominance. Moreover, the team is the second-best defense in the league allowing 188 yards per game and a 23.8% scoring rate according to SportsNaut.
The Eagles have the easiest schedule in the league this season and hope to continue their dominance following their bye week. The outlook is positive for the Eagles as they strive to fly to an undefeated season and a Super Bowl LVII appearance.
76ers
The Sixers are off to a slow start, only winning two of their first six regular season games, as of October 29th. Even though James Harden is putting up vintage Harden numbers, such as 26.8 points and 9.8 assists per game, the team simply doesn’t look that great. Losing to the Celtics, Spurs, and Bucks, the Sixers have struggled from beyond the arc, and defensively the team has been sub-par. Additionally, head coach Doc Rivers revealed that center Joel Embiid suffered from plantar fasciitis this summer in addition to his lingering knee issues, which may be a cause for concern. However, there is still plenty of season left for the 76ers to turn it around.
Flyers
With the NHL season starting in mid-October, the Flyers are off to a decent start, going 4-2 in their first six games. This provides the team with optimism as they aim for a playoff berth after a disappointing 2021-22 season last year going 25-23-8, finishing sixth in the East Division, and missing the playoffs. However, with 76 regular season games left to play, not much can be deduced throughout the league as a whole. With the Flyers inking contracts with the likes of star defender Travis Sanheim to long term deals, it is clear that the Flyers are looking to take a step forward as the season progresses. Regardless of recent successes, only time will tell what they will be able to achieve this year.